Tottenham Hotspur narrowly avoided a heartbreaking defeat as a late VAR call was enough to rule out Gabriel Jesus’ late winner. The Lilywhites ended up becoming the first side to hold Manchester City at home this calendar year after the game ended at 2-2.
It was perhaps an unfortunate result for City, who dominated throughout the game, notably finding the opener through Raheem Sterling in the 20th minute. But, Erik Lamela quickly restored parity with a long-range effort before Sergio Aguero once again secured that one-goal lead with a strike in the 35th minute.
The hosts City dominated even more in the second half. But, out of the blue, Spurs found their equaliser thanks to a header from substitute Lucas Moura. The goal allowed the visitors to sit back and defend, though they didn’t look all too convincing doing that. Jesus scored the winner for Manchester City during added time. But, the goal was ruled out after VAR revealed that Aymeric Laporte had handled the ball.
As a result, the two sides shared the point and here is how Mauricio Pochettino’s men performed in this hard-fought draw this evening.
Hugo Lloris 9
As expected, Lloris endured a busy evening against the relentless Manchester City. Despite looking nervy at times, the Frenchman made a host of saves to keep his side in the contest. In fact, he made eight saves, which is quite impressive for any Tottenham ‘keeper.
Kyle Walker-Peters 5.5
Looked troubled dealing with the threat of Raheem Sterling on the far side. But, the youngster deserves credit for sticking up to his task most of the time. One of those times where perhaps a more experienced defender would have suited better.
Toby Alderweireld 5
A lacklustre performance from the Belgian, who allowed the Man City forward to make dangerous runs in behind the backline on numerous occasions. However, he did look quite convincing with his tackles.
Davinson Sanchez 5
Much like Alderweireld, the Colombian struggled to assert his dominance in the defensive half and was too easily beaten, at times. The ex-Ajax stalwart really needs to become much more solid against quality oppositions.
Danny Rose 6
A competent performance from the England international, who, despite letting in Bernardo Silva on the fair side, tried his best to prevent Man City from scoring. He most notably made a goalline clearance to deny Nicolas Otamendi in the second half.
Harry Winks 5
A terrible first-half for the young midfielder, who completely failed to keep tabs on de Bruyne. As a result, the Belgian ran the show in midfield and kept Manchester City on the ascendancy. Winks was rightfully taken off just before the hour-mark.
Tanguy Ndombele 5.5
Looked entirely composed in possessive when compared to his other teammates. But, one would argue that the Frenchman could have provided better defensive cover for the backline. And this could be a worrying sign for Pochettino.
Moussa Sissoko 5.5
Did what he does best, which is to hurry and hassle the opposition ball-carrier. But, it was mostly ineffective as the Citizens were far too quick on rotating passes. A quiet game for the Frenchman.
Erik Lamela 7
Lamela was perhaps lucky to have easily beaten Ederson for the first goal. He rarely got involved in the first half but showed excellent mentality and the goal, of course, was very important.
Christian Eriksen 5
Looked tired and failed to provide the creative spark going forward, mainly due to Tottenham’s lack of ball retention. Not a decent game by his standards.
Harry Kane 4
Kane was completely isolated against the hoard of Manchester City defenders and had very little to almost no support in the final third. So naturally, the England superstar failed to make any real impact this evening.
SUBSTITUTES
Lucas Moura 9
Scored just 27 seconds after coming on, with a thumping header that restored parity. Aside from his goal, the Brazilian was also influential in nearly every Tottenham attack from there on in. His tenacity and commitment were truly inspiring.
Giovani Lo Celso N/A
A late substitute for the tiring Lamela.
Oliver Skipp N/A
Replaced Eriksen in the added time as Pochettino tried to run down the clock as much as he can. Did make a key block during the final minutes of the game, however.
